Checking in on the legacy of Apu from The Simpsons, and the conversation about representation in American popular culture.
Hari Kondabolu maintains that while he loves The Simpsons, The Problem With Apu (2017)…
… is about representation and how comedy can make bad things palletable (via Trevor Noah):
At the time, the response from The Simpsons was… not great:
#TheSimpsons completely toothless response to @harikondabolu #TheProblemWithApu about the racist character Apu:
— soham (@sohamberlamps) April 9, 2018
"Something that started decades ago and was applauded and inoffensive is now politically incorrect… What can you do?" pic.twitter.com/Bj7qE2FXWN
“The same thing that was great about it was the problem with it. [Apu] was pretty much for 20 years or so the only Indian character you saw on TV or in American pop culture. But by the same token, that made it carry so much weight… We don’t want to do harm… [but] we don’t know if it is a harm.” Nearly a decade after Hari Kondabolu’s film, Hank Azaria reflects on his professional and personal journeys with the backlash – and even reminds Neal Brennan of a whole other Indian character he’s portrayed: